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Chapter Four
Hunter
Hunter watched Opal and Vanessa walk away, and a layer of unease settled on him. He left the fair quickly. He’d already scooped out the nearest hotel and had a room booked. Of course, he’d done that thinking it might take a few days of surveillance before he found them and knew for sure it was them, but now his reason had changed. He drove to the hotel and checked in, then dialed Jeremy Beale.
“Good news,” Hunter said. “I’ve found them.”
“You have? Where are they?” The excitement in Jeremy’s voice was obvious.
“Can’t tell you that yet. In my experience, once a man knows where his missing child is, not much will keep him where he is. But if you come here, you’ll only be in the way and might scare them off.”
“Okay. So, how long will it be until you can bring my daughter home to me?”
“Well, that’s another thing,” Hunter said. “Having the child around complicates matters some. I’m sure you wouldn’t want your daughter there when everything goes down.”
“No, no.”
“So, it’s going to take a little more time. I need to make sure I can get Vanessa alone, but also that I know where Opal is so I can bring her to you.”
“I see. I want my daughter safe, so take as much time as you need. I want this done right.”
“Of course,” Hunter said. “That’s the only way I do it.”
Hunter hung up and stared at the wall for a long while. Then he picked up the photos and flipped through them again. He paused on a shot of Vanessa, Jeremy, and Opal. Why had he never noticed before how Vanessa held herself in this photo? She stood slightly between Jeremy and Opal, her body angled away from him as if she didn’t want to be near him. And as if she was trying to keep Opal from him.
Something about this situation was not adding up. The description of Vanessa Powers that he’d been given by Jeremy did not fit the woman he met today. He’d seen enough abuse to know what to look for. Opal didn’t shy away from her mother. She didn’t hesitate to take her hand, she didn’t look afraid or nervous to be around her. The child had no visible bruises, which didn’t mean anything alone, but since the weather was no nice, she’d had on short sleeves and there were no marks on her arms.
Hunter thought back to his own childhood. It wasn’t a place he liked to visit often in his mind or in conversation. But for this, he needed to. He pictured the family photos, not that there were many of them. He thought of how he always wanted to get away from his parents. How he never wanted them to touch him in any way. In photos, he stood a little apart from them. When they went somewhere, he walked a few steps away from them. Any touch at all, even the most innocent pat on the shoulder, would cause him to flinch and retreat. Because when you were a kid being abused by a parent, no touch seemed okay and being far away from them was always the best option.
But when he was with Opal and Vanessa, or Katrin and Joanna as they claimed, the child was in no way hesitant or shying away from her mother. He’d looked for any little flinch or pulling back and had seen none. By all accounts, they seemed like a very loving mother and child combination. So, it came to two options. Either Vanessa was a fabulous actress and somehow won her daughter again and again between abuse cycles. It wasn’t unheard of, but was unlikely. Or, and in his opinion what made much more sense, was that she was not the one abusing Opal.
But he needed to know for sure. He couldn’t kill Vanessa if she wasn’t the monster Jeremy made her out to be. And if she wasn’t the one hurting Opal, then Jeremy was the most likely candidate. And in that case, maybe he’d kill Jeremy instead. But before he made any move, he had to know more.
He could watch them. He could spend days and weeks watching them and trying to see how things really were. Maybe even hide some cameras in their apartment. But cameras only showed what happened inside their house, at the present time. It wouldn’t show him the past. It wouldn’t show him what had happened while Vanessa and Jeremy were married.
On the other hand, if he used a more involved method, he could not only get insight to their present, but also their past and future. That would mean doing something like dating Vanessa. Getting her full trust and the full trust of the child. Then, he could get them to open up and find out the truth. In the meantime, he’d have plenty of chances to observe them on a more intimate basis. From what he knew, abusers couldn’t hide forever. Eventually, Vanessa would get mad and lash out at Opal. Even if she controlled herself in front of new people, that façade only held so long. He’d see through it.
That was the best plan. To date her, be her romantic interest, get to know her on a deeper level. It would be just for the job. Had nothing at all to do with his attraction to her. Though maybe it would help make it seem more authentic. And if he got some action out of it, then so be it. It was all in the name of the job in the end. So long as he kept that in mind, he could work well and get what he needed.
# # #
“Come on, Opal, get into bed.” Vanessa stood by her daughter’s bed, waiting for her to come in from the bathroom.
She came bouncing in a few minutes later. “What a fun day!”
“It sure was.” Though she could live without the part where Opal almost died and without the strange man showing up. Hunter, she reminded herself. He had a name.
Opal slid under the covers and snuggled her bear close to her.
“You’re sleeping with your new bear?” Vanessa asked.
“Of course! I love her!”
“Did you name her yet?”
“No. Maybe Pinky?”
“That sounds like a good name to me.” She sat on the edge of the bed to lean down and kiss her goodnight.
